Punjabi filmmaker Minar Malhotra started his career as a 3D animation tutor in Delhi. But, destiny had some different plans for him in the store that Minar had to leave his job and start everything from scratch, not once, but multiple times.
“I took a loan for my sister’s wedding, but was unable to repay it to the bank. I went broke and life took an upside turn. At that time, everything in life seemed blank and all I cared about was to do anything to take that burden off my shoulders…So, I took decisions being completely unaware of the outcomes,” recalls Minar, the writer and director of critically acclaimed
Punjabi film Dulla Bhatti, which starred Binnu Dhillon.
After witnessing major setbacks in life, Minar was offered a film editing project by a filmmaker from Ghana. In Ghana, not only he did handle the editing part of the film but also became its director. And, now he believes that his visit to Ghana was a turning point in life. He decided that once getting back to India, all he would do is filmmaking.
“Just after I landed in India from Ghana, I started meeting people from the Punjabi film industry. But, no one offered him money at the beginning. ‘Par meine soch liya tha ki bhookha mar jaunga, dobara job nahi karunga, karze utar gaye they, roti gurudware mein kha loonga, par kaam toh yahi karunga…’ That was my commitment with myself and I was absolutely sure
about it. You can say that had I found my true calling,” says Minar.
However, things were never easy. From making his presence felt as a director to getting his solo projects, everything tested patience.Shares Minar, “Initially, I got good scripts to work upon, but no one was ready to invest in them as producers. Sometimes, I had some potential producers, but potential scripts were not there. I had to work with whatever I got, however, I got. Although I knew I could do better than that, I didn’t have the resources to give shape to my actual vision.”
And, that was the time when the filmmaker decided to write and direct his own venture “Dulla Bhatti”, a film which successfully created a buzz among film buffs.
The son of a bookbinder, for Minar nothing came on platter. Even his dad would suggest him not to dream big. Recalls Minar, “I clearly remember when my father said to me… ‘Beta tu bookbinder ka beta hai, tu kahan ye filmon ke sapne dekh raha hai… Yeh hum jaise logon ke bass ki baat nahi hai…’ But, I am on to my journey to make my father feel proud and prove
that my decisions are worth the results.”
Today, after having spent almost half a decade on filmmaking, Minar is ready to add yet another feather to his artistic hat. His debut single track “Red Suit”, which he has not only sung, but also he has featured in the song’s video.
Minar says, “Music was always a long-cherished dream. But, you cannot chase your dreams to make them true until you prove your potential to the world out there. I came nowhere and I was no one. Not a single person in generations of my family has been into this industry. But yes, now I believe is the right time to chase everything I dreamt of as a child.
“That child never knew that “Apna Time Aayega”, but now that the time has arrived, I will make the best of every moment and entertain people to the best of my capabilities. There are many more projects to come, be it as a filmmaker, as a singer or as an actor. I don’t want to label myself. I am an entertainer,” adds Minar.
The things that Minar Malhotra talks about life and success today were not the same a few years back. Rather, he didn’t even know what success means and how he could achieve it. But, today with the little success that he has earned for himself, he wants to inspire the aspiring artists, who have n “god-fathers” in the entertainment industry, but their talent deserves every
bit of success.
“I know what struggle means to an artist, but a single ray of hope can take artists like me in a long way. If I can be that ray of hope to someone out there, I will never hold myself back,” concludes Minar.
“Red Suit” is receiving an overwhelming response from the listeners and because of this, Minar has got the opportunity to sing the title track of his upcoming directorial film “Wadda Bai”.
The song has been collectively presented by Raag Music and Morya Films Entertainment.
